Taliban storm Afghan police compound, kill 5 police

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban stormed a police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday after striking it with two suicide car bombs, killing at least five police, officials said.

Another nine police and nine civilians were wounded in the attack, said Sardar Wali Tabasim, spokesman for the police chief of Paktia province.

He said one of the attackers detonated his suicide vest and two others were shot dead by police as they tried to enter the compound, which also houses the regional command for Afghanistan's eastern provinces.

The last attacker held out for hours inside a dining hall as security forces worked to evacuate kitchen staff sheltering nearby, Tabasim said. The gunman was eventually killed later in the afternoon, he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to media.

One of the explosions was so strong it shattered windows up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the attack site, said Abdullah Hsrat, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Logar province, gunmen shot and killed the head of the police's criminal investigation department, said Salim Saleh, spokesman for provincial governor. He said a bodyguard was wounded in the attack late Saturday in Puli Alim, the provincial capital. An investigation is underway.